“INVITATION: Fifth Convocation Ceremony & Founder’s Day Celebration” reads the title of the email. It has been less than a week since I’ve been back on campus, and my mailbox is full of notifications reminding me of the convocation ceremony which also marks the 1-year anniversary of the first time I ever fell sick on campus (I start early).
Although attendance was mandatory, I went entirely voluntarily – not just for the good food or for the free transportation to Delhi but also for those seniors whom I had come to admire and respect. It didn’t matter if you were a first year or a fifth year in this University – you could bond over warm coffee and cold iced teas and have conversations about anything.Instead of looking at them as different and as people we could fear, the newer batches have been encouraged to look at them as potential friends – something I was reminded of even during the Buddy Project.
After Mr. Arun Jaitley’s speech, familiar Professors called out familiar names – names that I associated with a particular brand of warmth and welcome. Faces that I probably wouldn’t be seeing in any more Biswamil or Magnus promotional videos. Voices that I wouldn’t hear enthusiastically cheering friends on during Bollywood Night or correcting my debating style after a Debate Society Meeting. Not all of the people I screamed myself hoarse for were valedictorians or recipients of medals or at the receiving end of some of the loudest applause and cheers. No, some of them were quieter and in their own quiet way were changing the world. At least, they changed mine.
I thought of friends I have in the older batches, and I imagined their names being called out. Nostalgia washed over me which, when I now think about it, was strange. There’s still time left for their names. And yet, I missed them. It was like feeling homesick while at home.
I still have another four convocations to sit through, including mine. I can only hope that my feelings will differ each time but in all probability they will deepen.
I’ll just have to remember that certain steel, cement and brick structures outlast others when it comes to being an irrevocable part of our lives.
